Rochester Vaults into First Place of the USSF D-2 Pro League after Two Wins in Week 19

NewsAug 16, 2010

Week 19 Recap and Week 20 Preview of the USSF D-2 Pro League

Week 19 Recap With the D-2 season winding down, Week 19 was a return to a full league schedule with 10 games across three days. On Aug. 11, the Rochester Rhinos defeated the Carolina RailHawks 2-0 on the road, which, combined with their 2-1 victory against the Montreal Impact on Aug. 14, puts the Rhinos at the top of the table. In other action, the Portland Timbers drew the NSC Minnesota Stars 2-2 in Oregon and the Montreal Impact played Crystal Palace Baltimore to a scoreless draw in Quebec. Welcoming Tampa Bay to their home, the Puerto Rico Islanders drew the Rowdies 1-1. Portland goalkeeper Steve Cronin earned a shutout in their second game of the week as the Timbers defeated AC St. Louis 1-0 on Aug. 14. The Austin Aztex lost only their third game of the season, falling to the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-0 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale saw a high-scoring in-state rivalry match as Miami FC drew the Tampa Bay Rowdies 3-3. Vancouver Whitecaps FC earned a 1-0 victory against the NSC Minnesota North Stars and Crystal Palace defeated the RailHawks 2-1 in Baltimore. Week 19 Results

Portland snapped a four-game winless streak with their 1-0 victory at St. Louis.

Austin's loss to Puerto Rico was their third of the season and just their first on the road in 20 games.

Vancouver is now unbeaten in their last five matches and have only one loss in their last 15.

Week 20 PreviewWeek 20 kicks off with a handful of weekday games starting on Wednesday, Aug. 18. The Rochester Rhinos will visit Crystal Palace Baltimore at 7 p.m. ET and the Carolina RailHawks play host to Miami FC at 7 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. There will be one game played on Aug. 19, featuring the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 7:30 p.m. ET at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. Closing out the work week will be AC St. Louis and the Puerto Rico Islanders as they face off at 8:10 p.m. ET at Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in St. Louis on Friday, Aug. 20. Three games will be contested on Saturday with the first matchup seeing the Montreal Impact visit Crystal Palace Baltimore at 5 p.m. ET in Towson, Md. Rochester will then welcome Miami FC to Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. at 7 p.m. ET and the NSC Minnesota North Stars will play host to the Portland Timbers at 7 p.m. CT in Blaine, Minn. The final game for Week 20 will be on Sunday, Aug. 22 when the Carolina RailHawks meet the Austin Aztex at 6 p.m. CT at House Park.

Week 20 Schedule

Date

Match

Time (ET)

Venue

Aug. 18

Crystal Palace Baltimore vs. Rochester Rhinos

7 p.m.

Ridley Athletic Complex; Baltimore, Md.

Aug. 18

Carolina RailHawks vs. Miami FC

7 p.m.

WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.

Aug. 19

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

7:30 p.m.

George M. Steinbrenner Field; Tampa, Fla.

Aug. 20

AC St. Louis vs. Puerto Rico Islanders

8:10 p.m.

Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park; St. Louis, Mo.

Aug. 21

Crystal Palace Baltimore vs. Montreal Impact

5 p.m.

Paul Angelo Russo Stadium; Towson, Md.

Aug. 21

Rochester Rhinos vs. Miami FC

7 p.m.

Marina Auto Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.

Aug. 21

NSC Minnesota Stars vs. Portland Timbers

8 p.m.

National Sports Center; Blaine, Minn.

Aug. 22

Austin Aztex vs. Carolina RailHawks

7 p.m.

House Park; Austin, Texas

Week 20 Notes

St. Louis and Puerto Rico have only met once so far this season, a 1-0 win for St. Louis in Puerto Rico on June 12.

Rochester will look to extend their newfound lead with two games against Baltimore and Miami while Austin plays just once against Carolina this week.

Puerto Rico, Carolina and Minnesota will all be looking to take home three points with all three teams locked in a tie on 28 points as they start to look to make a push for the playoffs.